Autographs Present! In Commemoration of "ULTRAMAN" Season 2! Ryohei Kimura (ULTRAMAN/Shinjiro Hayata) & Tomoaki Maeno (TARO/Koutaro Azuma) talk! All six episodes were produced with mutual recognition of each other's abilities.

Season 2 of ULTRAMAN began streaming on Netflix on April 14, 2022.

The human drama with its diverse characters has been attracting attention, but Season 2 is also attracting attention for the "Rokketsu" (the "Six Ultra Brothers" in tokusatsu terms), including ULTRAMAN, SEVEN, ACE, ZOFFY, JACK, and TAR0. We interviewed Ryohei Kimura, who plays ULTRAMAN=Shinjiro Hayata, and Tomoaki Maeno, who plays the newly introduced TARO=Koutaro Azuma. They discussed the highlights of Season 2, which is even more powerful than the previous season.

Kotaro Higashi breathes new life into the production

--First of all, I would like to ask you, Mr. Kimura, to look back on Season 1, and I would like to ask Mr. Maeno, a new participant from Season 2, to tell us how he feels after being selected to appear in the show.

Kimura: When I first read the script, I thought, "This is interesting! I thought, "This is interesting! Naturally, I did not know what the reaction would be before the announcement, but once the distribution actually started, I realized that a lot more people had watched it than I had imagined, and I realized how great the response was. I was also happy to see that many people from overseas were exposed to the show because it was distributed through Netflix. I hope that people around the world will enjoy Season 2 as well.

Maeno: I myself have been watching the Ultraman series since I was a child, and "Ultraman Tarou" was my favorite Ultraman hero, so I felt a strange connection to the series. I was very happy to play Kotaro, of course, but I also watched "Taro" with my parents when I was a child, so my parents were very happy to hear that I was going to play Taro. They were very happy to see me.

Ryohei Kimura

--Did you hear any feedback from the first season?

Maeno: I really enjoyed the work itself, and people around me were talking about how interesting "ULTRAMAN" was. I was offered the role, and once the decision was made, I was told, "I'm looking forward to it! and "The ace-killer battle in season 1 was great! So in that sense, there was a bit of pressure on me (laughs).

Kimura: I also received a lot of comments from people in various fields, such as "I'm looking forward to Season 2! and "When is it coming? I was also told "I'm looking forward to Season 2! I think that because the announcement of Season 2 was made so early, it made the fans wait a little longer, but I think that made it possible for me to take my time in creating the role and working on it.

--What kind of character do you think Kotaro Azuma is?

Maeno: He is a hot-blooded man who is honest about his feelings and acts without thinking. Because of that, he sometimes gets himself into trouble, but he never regrets any of his actions. That's something I don't have, so I wanted to express it in my performance.

Kimura In Season 1, Shinjiro was an ordinary high school student who was struggling and doing his best as "ULTRAMAN," but everyone else had a lot of experience, and Shinjiro was rather special. Under such circumstances, Kotaro Azuma was newly introduced with the scent of a hero, and he breathed a new wind into the work. I think he is a bit muddy and a good old-fashioned hero.

Tomoaki Maeno

--What was your impression of Shinjiro?

Tomoaki Maeno: In this case, Shinjiro doesn't treat the aliens with a merciful heart or make easy judgments about right and wrong. That is something I admire in him as a human being. I also think that he is a bit of a bullying character in the team circle (laughs).

Kimura That's true (laughs).

Morohoshi calls him a "kid," but deep down, they recognize each other, and I think that kind of relationship is very wonderful to watch.

--I am very interested in their love lives in Season 2.

Kimura: In terms of Shinjiro, Rena is clearly a cut above the rest.

Maeno: Rena knows exactly what Shinjiro is like (laughs).

Kimura It's fun to play that part, and it's a little bit creepy.

Maeno Izumi is a woman with a strong core. There are quite a few scenes where Izumi scolds Kotaro (laugh), but there are also scenes where Kotaro is inspired by her beliefs, and she is portrayed as an important person for him. I hope that everyone can see how their relationship will evolve over the course of Season 2.

As co-stars, what we both think makes our voices so appealing

--Kimura: The full 3DCG animation with motion capture is also a topic of discussion.

Kimura: Looking back, we had a lot of trouble in season 1. I kept saying, "Can you do something about it?" I said many times, but in the end I got used to it (laughs). (Laughs.) But because I had that experience, I didn't have as much trouble as I did in Season 1. Another important thing this time was that I was able to go to a motion capture studio. I was able to see firsthand how fun and difficult it is to work in the field, and that was a great source of inspiration for me when doing postrecording.

Oh, yes, I also had the chance to experience motion capture.

Maeno: What? Whose scene was that?

Kimura: As Shinjiro.

Maeno Wow!

Kimura It's not in the film, but it's used in the promotional video. It was a dream come true.

--I think that must have been quite a challenge for you, who participated in this project for the first time.

Maeno: Of course, there were many difficulties. However, when wearing the suit, the mouth is hidden and the lip-sync is not restricted, so I had a lot of freedom in this area. For example, when avoiding an attack, I could say, "Huh! or "Huh! but also "Oh shit! I also ad-libbed some scenes. I thought that as long as it was in line with the scene, there would be no problem. So we had a lot of fun during the postrecording.

Kimura In the case of normal animation, there are times when the picture is not yet finished, but this time we had motion actors, so even if the CG was not completed, we had the image itself, so we could perfectly match it to the scene.

Maeno: In the live action scenes, you have to be conscious of lip-sync, but by the time I was doing the postrecording, more than half of the picture was already done, so it was easy to get the timing right.

Kimura You didn't say, "Please just give me your voice," did you?

Maeno: Yes. The postrecording was very easy to understand, and the testing and production went rather smoothly.

--What do you think of the appeal of each other's voices after working together this time?

Kimura: Well, if I were to compare my voice to Maeno's, I would be at a bit of a disadvantage!

Maeno No, no, no, what, just a little (laughs).

Kimura What is great about Maeno-kun is that he can convince people that he can do any voice, no matter what line of voice they hear, with just one tweak of his own. I also like to play a variety of roles, and I think I am the type of person who can handle anything rather dexterously, but Maeno-kun takes that to a whole new level with the charm of his voice. He can expand his range infinitely if he wants to be heard with a good voice, and that is his strength. That is his strength. I think he is invincible as a voice actor.

Maeno: I am very happy to hear you say that (laughs). (laughs) I really like Ryohei's natural acting. I feel the same way when I see him in anime or dubbed Western movies. Shinjiro is a character with a wide range of emotions, and I was impressed by how well he was able to express them. I don't think there is anyone who doesn't like Ryohei's voice.

Kimura Really? (laugh)

Maeno: I think his voice can be accepted by everyone, and his natural acting enhances the character, which I think is Ryohei's charm. In that sense, I think Shinjiro is a character that is synonymous with that.

Kimura Thank you very much! (laughs).

Season 2 is packed with all the elements everyone wants to see!

--What would you say are the highlights of the show as far as you can tell?

Kimura: There is a new character that I like, so please check that out. After that, I think the climax will blow your mind. Anyway, the big one is .......

Maeno, can I mention King Joe ......?　I don't know how much I can say about it (laughs), but it is really amazing!

Kimura The power of the CG was amazing. I think you will definitely be glued to the screen with "Oh! I'm sure you'll be glued to your seat.

Maeno: Season 2 is also an important part of Kotaro's growth story, so I would like you to pay attention to it. The story of how Kotaro took on the name TARO is also described, which I hope will be a new discovery for viewers.

--How do you feel about Shinjiro in Season 2?

Maeno: It's difficult because I can't give away any spoilers (laughs).

Kimura As Maeno-kun mentioned earlier, there is interaction with aliens. In the midst of all this, Shinjiro comes to terms with certain events in his own way, and I would like the audience to see that.

--I think the "Rokketsu Gathering" is also a highlight of Season 2.

Maeno: The OP video spoils a lot. It makes you think, "Is it really okay to show that much of the good scenes from each episode? The last part of the OP shows the six members of the group. Also, at the end of the OP, there is an image of the six ULTRAMAN members going up against each other, which I felt symbolized Season 2, and it really touched my heart.

Kimura: The SEVEN use weapons, and I think you will enjoy the different colors of each of them in the fight scenes.

Maeno: ZOFFY is really emo, and JACK is a power-type hero and fights dynamically using wrestling techniques. （I think Ultraman Jack (from "Ultraman Returns") fought stylishly, so that's an interesting and unexpected aspect.

Kimura In Season 2, the activities of the six are depicted head-on.

Maeno: Yes, the picture of all six together is like a dream.

--I would like to conclude with a message to our readers.

Maeno: The other day, I had a chance to see the completed video, and I was so absorbed in watching it that I lost track of time. I am confident that we will be able to deliver a work that exceeds the expectations of our fans. I am sure that this work will be enjoyed not only by fans who have been looking forward to the previous works, but also by those who are familiar with Ultraman through special effects, and even those who have never touched the character before.

Kimura: Compared to Season 1, which had 13 episodes, this season has only 6 episodes, so some fans may think, "Wow, there are only 6 episodes? But in six episodes, there are scenes that will make you laugh, scenes that will make you cry, action scenes that will be fun, and all the other elements that everyone wants to see in a movie. Please look forward to it!

(Reporting and writing by Tomohisa Toyota)

Present Campaign Outline

<Prize
In commemoration of "ULTRAMAN" Season 2 distribution, two autographs of Ryohei Kimura & Tomoaki Maeno will be given away, each signed by one of them!

Ryohei Kimura (ULTRAMAN/Shinjiro Hayata) autograph

Tomoaki Maeno (TARO / played by Kotaro Azuma) autograph

Application period: Monday, April 25, 2022 - Monday, May 2, 2022 (23:59)
Number of winners: 1 person each, 2 cards in total
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© Tsuburaya Productions ©Eiichi Shimizu,Tomohiro Shimoguchi ©ULTRAMAN Production Committee2